Yoga is a great way to ground yourself in a greater awareness of your body and hence prepare yourself for meditation. While our yoga classes are built on Buddhist principles, anyone is welcome to come along and get something from these sessions.
Classes
BodhiYoga - Mondays 5:30pm - 6:45pm (In-person)
The session will be an exploration of movement and breath to become more fully present in our experience and the possibility of greater ease and wellbeing. There will be some standing and floor-based postures working with the breath, along with relaxation and meditation. Booking is Essential in-person.
Restorative BodhiYoga - Wednesdays 5:45pm - 6:55pm (In-person)
This session is to nourish and restore our body, heart and mind, and enable deep rest. Using gentle movements, breath work, supported postures and led meditative relaxation to support you in finding a deeply restful state with the intention of building the conditions to assist letting go of everyday stresses and strains, to connect with ease, calm and spaciousness.
Wear warm comfortable clothing and warm socks, the body cools as we rest. There are mats and blankets in the centre but you may prefer to bring your own for extra comfort.
Information
For further information or to book please contact Kshantika by texting 07592456613 or by email at kshantika@googlemail.com.
As with everything we run at the Buddhist Centre, we offer these classes on a basis of ‘dana’ or generosity i.e. give what you can afford. If it helps, we suggest a donation of £8 per session.
If you plan to attend regularly and pay UK tax, please consider filling out a Gift Aid form as this helps us a lot.
Kshantika
‘I want to create an environment of enquiry and exploration of our bodies and of our being, one that can both support and deepen our felt sense of connection with ourselves. With an approach that is rooted in the Satipattana system of mindfulness taught by the Buddha Sakyamuni around 500 BCE and permeated with the Buddha’s teaching on metta (kindly benevolence) we can build some essential tools to work with the difficulties of life.’
‘I have been practicing yoga and meditation in a Buddhist context for over 25 years. My journey with this combination of practices began in 1994 when I became inspired by the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment and set out to learn more. This I have done in the context of the Triratna Buddhist Community and was ordained in 2006. A significant aspect of my path has been working with the body particularly through yoga. I had many personal challenges and issues in myself to deal with and an engagement with yoga gave me an invaluable way to work with myself enabling ease in a way that nothing else had. Inspired by my own experience of the practice in 2001 I qualified as a teacher in the Iyengar tradition, in more recent years my practice and teaching have moved significantly to a more breath led movement practice more inspired by Gary Kraftsow and Donna Farhi. To reorient my teaching I have undertaken training with Sadhita and Sudaka, two Order members of the Triratna Buddhist Order who have over 40 years of yoga experience between them. Their approach of Bodhiyoga draws on the Buddha's Satipatthana teaching; by applying this teaching to traditional hatha yoga postures, yoga asana becomes a mindfulness practice.’
Upcoming Classes and Yoga Day Retreats
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